to form the royal australian air force , making it the second oldest air force in the world . regardless , the service branches were not linked by a single chain of command however , and each reported to their own minister and had separate administrative arrangements and government departments . = = = outbreak of hostilities = = = when britain declared war on germany at the start of the first world war , the australian government rapidly followed suit , with prime minister joseph cook declaring on 5 august 1914 that " . . . when the empire is at war , so also is australia " and reflecting the sentiment of many australians that any declaration of war by britain automatically included australia . this
to form the royal australian air force, making it the second oldest air force in the world. regardless, the service branches were not linked by a single chain of command however, and each reported to their own minister and had separate administrative arrangements and government departments. = = = outbreak of hostilities = = = when britain declared war on germany at the start of the first world war, the australian government rapidly followed suit, with prime minister joseph cook declaring on 5 august 1914 that "... when the empire is at war, so also is australia " and reflecting the sentiment of many australians that any declaration of war by britain automatically included australia. this